Aaron de Kok

“We’re thrilled with Cookie. In the past few weeks, he’s put up some good numbers, three 1-goal games and a 96 plus save percentage in all three games. We are very excited by his play.”

Storm Head Coach Lee Stone – October 26 Post Game

Aaron de Kok has faced something that is a bit strange for a Storm goaltender, more rubber; not a ridiculous amount more but certainly more than past Storm netminders.

Fortunately the Storm have a good one in Aaron who proved in his Midget career that he was special. In three seasons with the Lethbridge Midget AA Hurricanes he boasted a .931 save percentage in 71 games. In his final season, he and his teammates captured the league championship.

Throughout his development he’s worked with current Storm Assistant Coach/Assistant GM Cam Basarab. According to Aaron, “I’ve worked with Cam for 5 or 6 years. At one point, I was training with him while he was still on his goaltending career. It’s cool to see where he’s come and he’s brought me a long way. He pushed me in practise when nobody else did.”

The one thing observers will notice is that Cookie doesn’t seem to have a particular goaltending style. “I really don’t have one. I just like to battle. I was always taught don’t ever give up on the puck, it has to stay out of the net, so I’ll do whatever it takes.”

As October came to a close, the eighteen year has been stellar. In his last three October starts, he was 3-0, allowing just 3 goals and stopping 129/132 shots (.977). Naturally in all three matches he was the Game Star. On top of that he is ranked number 2 among VIJHL goalies in GSAA (Goals Saved Above Average).

It’s become pretty clear that the fans appreciate the effort of #1 because they regularly roar their approval when he snatches one destined for the top corner or reaches back with the paddle to clear one off the goal line. “It’s awesome here,” says Aaron, “the building is so electric Friday nights. Once you make a couple of saves and the fans really get behind you, there’s nothing better.”

The goal for the season isn’t a personal one for Aaron, “I want us to win a VIJHL championship and the Cyclone Taylor Cup, that’s why we’re here.” With this young man’s compete level, there’s a very good chance of some nice hardware coming in April.